Coat



Dec. 24, 194-0. 0. F. \NElSEND 2,226,486 I COAT Filed Feb. 2, 1938 N93. mu EWUSEND (Ittorneg 5 3nnentor Patented Dec. 24, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

a so called custom made coat failure of the.

tailor to satisfy the customer in the finished coat, even after a try-on, may result in considerable loss to the tailor by reason of extensive alterations or the entire remaking of the garment. I

An object of the present invention is to provide simple and inexpensive means whereby the front portions of the completed coat may be extended forward or rearward by merely changing and fixing the position of the side or under arm and front portions of the coat in relation to the back. Other objects of the invention can be gathered from the disclosure herein.

An example of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing and set forth in the following description the feature of novelty being pointed out in the claims.

In said drawing- Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view in elevation of the inner side of the coat according to the invention, with parts broken out to illustrate details.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal diagrammatic sectional view on a larger scale, on the line II--II Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a detail view illustrating a modified form of adjusting means.

Fig. 4 is a detail view of a further modified form of adjusting means.

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2 the character 5 designates the back of the coat which has the usual extensions 6, 6, to form the sides (or under arm portions) and fronts. At 1, I, are arm holes. In the instance shown the coat is skeleton lined, and at 8, 8, the usual suitable stiffening material, such as canvas or duck, and body linings 9, 9, of silk, satin or serge or other material is stitched to the inner facings l0, ID, of the coat, said facing containing the button holes and buttons. The facings l0, l0, and the linings 9, 9, conceal the stiffening pieces 8, 8, but the said linings are eachstitched to the coat so as to leave an opening at both sides of the coat, at least at the waist line, for access of the hands between the free part of the coat and the said lining 9, 9.

l4 designates a. band or strap that extends across the back and is preferably secured by stitches I l to the side seams of the coat.

Stitched securely to the rear margins of the stiffening pieces 8, 8, are short straps H, II, each containing a suitable buckle l2, l2, and stitched to the back are short straps I3, l3, of stout and preferably flexible but poorly stretchable material to adjustably engage the buckles I2, H2, in the ordinary or any suitable manner. The short straps l3, [3, can be integral end portions of the straps 14 that are each secured to the back seam as shown to extend across the back to prevent in operation unilateral pull on the material of the coat or its lining, if there be one, and prevent stretching of the back where latter is not wholly lined. In other words, if the coat is to be of the tight fit when buttoned in the front any strain on the back at the waist line is borne by the straps and not by the exter nal material of the coat. By adjusting and securing the connections of the straps l3, [3, in the buckles the sides and fronts of the coat 20 can be extended forward or drawn rearward so as to obtain the exact fit, tension or hang in the front that may be desired by the wearer.

In Fig. 3 is illustrated one end of an adjusting means which is similar to that used at suspender ends. In this case the strap l4, corresponding to strap I4 in Figs. 1 and 2, is stitched to the coat or its lining at l4 and the free end extended through a slot is a metallic piece II sewed to the stiff lining 8 said free end pro- 30 vided with the ordinary toothed slit clamp l2 adapted to bind the free end to the opposite portion of the looped strap to hold the same in the position desired. By releasing the clamping buckle l2 and sliding it toward the stiff lining the side and front of the coat can be extended as in the first described construction.

In Fig. 4 the ends of the strap which is secured to the back of the coat by stitching I l and M to the stiff lining 8 is provided at each end between said stitchings with a portion l2 looped and folded and transversely stitched with one or more lines of stitches l2 that can be picked out beginning with that line nearest the body of the strap thereby effecting an extension of the device between the back of the lining 8 and permitting an extension forward of the side and front of the coat. If at first the removal of the last mentioned stitches it be found that the coat is too lose at the waist line in front by excessive removal of said stitches such stitching being easily and promptly replaced by fresh ones so as to secure the exact fit desired.

It being remembered under the purpose of the present invention that when a coat is first tried on there is an approximation of a fit, therefore, when the end straps are adjusted to enlarge, for example, the waist line of the coat any contraction will include the coat in the region of the back strap and back and not the sides of the coat because of the flexibility of the back strap. It will also be observed that because of the width at the bottom of the coat by reason of the gore like portions, on which the characters 9 appear in Fig. 1, the bottom of the coat below the waist line accommodates itself to the rumps of the wearer and hang therefrom more or less loosely even upon buttoning up the coat. No appreciable rumpling at the sides can take place under normal application of the structure to the wearer not only because the sides contain stiffening material or lining and when, for example, a relaxing of the back strap and the back itself at the waist line only the back and bottom therefore responding merely in fulling a little the back and causing draping of the bottom at the bottom rear all of which makes for comfort and freedom of movement of the back of the wearer above and below the waist line.

Obviously the invention is as useful in readyinade as in custom made coats, if not more so. In the ready-made coats it will be particularly valuable because such coats, being manufactured on a broad scheme of averages as to sizes require upon sale in the aggregrate an enormous amount of alterations due to the variations of the dimensions of men between averages. With the present invention the necessity for any alterations with respect to circumferential waist line fit or the front hang of a coat will be rare and much time and money saved.

Where the coat is of the full lined variety as distinguished from the skeleton lined and has a lining covering the back, suitable slits in the lining at the proper points can be provided to afford access of the hand to the adjusting devices attached to the stiffening and concealed by the lining.

The forms, material, number and arrangement of the parts can be changed without departing from the gist of the invention as claimed.

What I claim is:

1. In a coat provided with side linings, a back strap of relatively non-stretchable but flexible material extending across the back at the region of the waist line of the coat at the inner side of the external material of the back and secured to the coat at substantially the side seams of the coat, short strap portions concealed by said linings and secured to the coat forward of and near the ends of said back strap and cooperating with the said back strap, and means connected with said last named strap portions for adjusting them, whereby saidfront and side portions of the coat can be shifted forward or rearwardly and adjusted in relation to the back portion.

2. In a coat having stiffening and body linings in its front and side portions, a back strap of relatively non-stretchable but flexible material extending across the back at the region of the waist line of the coat and secured to the coat at substantially the side seams thereof, and flexible straps secured to the coat near the said connections of the back strap therewith and extending forwardly to and connected with the stiffening linings of the front portions of the coat, said last named straps containing means whereby their effective lengths can be varied, the front and side portions of the coat being shiftable bodily toward the back strap.

OTTO F. WEISEND. 

